NYC Council Member Farah Louis urges Congress to restore TPS for Haitians

New York City Council Member Farah Naomi Louis is calling on Congress to restore Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals, introducing Resolution 626, which urges the U.S. Senate and the president to advance legislation extending TPS for Haiti in recognition of the country’s continued humanitarian crisis.

Louis, the first Haitian and Bahamian American Council Member in New York City history, represents Brooklyn’s 45th District, home to one of the largest Haitian communities in the United States.

Louis introduced the resolution on Sept. 11, according to a post on her official Facebook page. It calls on the Senate to approve S.4814 and to send it to the president for signature. The bill would require the homeland security secretary to designate Haiti for TPS through three months after Jan. 20, 2029.

“Haiti is facing a profound humanitarian and security crisis, and sending Haitian families back into these conditions is unconscionable,” Louis said. “Haitian New Yorkers are our neighbors, our workers, our business owners, our parents and our community leaders. They have built lives and contributed to the fabric of this city, and they deserve the opportunity to continue doing so safely and legally.”

The resolution cites 2026 United Nations figures showing nearly 1.47 million people displaced by violence in Haiti and 5.8 million facing food insecurity. An estimated 350,000 Haitian nationals have held TPS nationwide, including about 40,000 in New York, according to the resolution.

Louis’ resolution is the latest in a series of City Council actions in support of Haitian TPS holders. In February 2025 and again in February 2026, she joined city and state officials, clergy and advocates at rallies calling for permanent protections. In August, she and Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn canvassed businesses in Brooklyn’s Little Haiti to share legal resources with residents fearful of deportation.

“New York City must stand with our Haitian community, and we must use every level of government to demand that TPS protections are restored,” Louis said.

Sources: Council Member Farah Louis’ official Facebook page; Council Member Farah Louis’ office; Sen. Edward Markey’s office; Congress.gov; Caribbean National Weekly.